Articoli Taggati “conclave”

...black, obviously, otherwise my headline would have been "XXX becomes pope". Just before 7.45 the chimney on the Sistine Chapel was used for the first time of this conclave. No one really expected white smoke today. The first day of the conclave is really spent taking care of the ceremonial stuff. Early this morning, the cardinals […]

The Sistine Chapel is ready, the chimney is up on the roof, cardinals and priests have received official notification of the conclave dress code, the last general congregation of cardinals took place this morning with 28 cardinals speaking, and this afternoon at 17:30 the 90 or so cleaners, drivers, doctors, nurses, confessors , waitresses technicians, […]

The lists of papabili are multiplying. Publishing these keeps journalists busy and helps to give the impression that they are in the know. As the main event draws closer it gets harder rather than easier. You can’t just rehash the same old names; so you start with the names no one can ignore, add one […]

The atmosphere at this lunchtime’s Vatican press briefing was a lot more relaxed than of late, now that we know that the conclave is starting. Fr Lombardi opened by saying that he was almost sorry that these regular meetings would soon be coming to an end. He then burst out laughing almost uncontrollably, suggesting that […]

Yes, we finally have a date. This afternoon’s Congregation of Cardinals decided that the conclave will begin on Tuesday 12 March. For the 25th time, the Sistine Chapel will witness the election of a new Pope. The cardinals will meet again in congregation tomorrow morning, but not in the afternoon. Many are expected to visit […]

Yes, we will finally have a date later today. The eighth General Congregation of Cardinals will decide when the conclave will begin and it will be announced some time after 7 p.m. During the congregation Cardinal Sodano, the Dean of Cardinals read out a section of Benedict XVI's Motu Proprio. Since all the cardinals are now […]

This morning 152 cardinals, including 114 cardinal electors, met in the fifth Congregation of Cardinals to talk about many things: evangelism, the church’s role in the world today, the profile of the new pope, ecumenical dialogue, and charitable work for the poor. What they apparently did not talk about, or certainly did not decide, was […]

Almost 40% of the world’s Catholics now reside in Latin America and the Caribbean, the church is declining in Europe but flourishing in Sub-Saharan Africa, and while overall the number of nuns in religious orders is falling, in Asia it is growing. Yet Italians, and especially Romans, still tend to see the Church as their […]

While we wait for the conclave to start, most of the press coverage is concentrated on the papabili, the frontrunners to succeed Benedict XVI. Some are carefully reasoned, like Marco Ansaldo’s blog here explaining why for the first time, the Italian candidates for the throne of St. Peter are at a disadvantage. Scandals, poisonous gossip, […]